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Thursday, April 13, 2017

Volcanic Soil vs Hantavirus

Do you ever get really excited about something, only to have
the rug pulled out from under you? That
happened to me this week. In scanning
through my e-newsletters and outbreak summaries I came across an article “Ugandan
outbreak of elephantiasis linked to walking barefoot in volcanic soil”. As geeky as I know I’m going to sound,
without reading the article I was giddy and I had already come up with how I
would start the blog by tying in the fact that I HATE sand. I know it’s rather ironic having just gone on
vacation to a beach resort, but I really do HATE sand and assume the same would
be said of volcanic soil. It gets
everywhere and I particularly HATE walking in sand – the feel on the bottom of
my feet, the feel when it gets between my toes…. Ask my husband, me walking on sand is akin to
a cat outdoors walking in snow. You know
that pick foot up and shake before you put it down again? That’s me.

Then I read the article and learned that the elephantiasis
was not being caused by an infectious organism.
It was actually caused from walking on the volcanic soil itself which
has sharp mineral crystals that penetrate the soles of feet and cause
inflammation and pain… There was no tie
in with disinfection of hands, surfaces or devices which is the intent of Talk
Clean To Me…. The rug had been pulled
out from under me.

And then this morning, I came across an article stating that
the first
person for 2017 in New Mexico has died from Hantavirus. While no death from an infectious agent is
funny, I had to chuckle a bit as several years ago I involuntarily acquired a
“bestie” who called concerned about finding a mouse nest in his boat when he
went to launch it in the spring. The
conversation was memorable because it did not just end with one call, but over
a couple of years each spring I would get a call to confirm how to deal with
the newest mouse nest he found to ensure he did not get hantavirus….

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses, carried by rodents,
particularly wild rodents such as deer mice, white-footed mice and several
species of rats. Hantaviruses found in
North, South and Central America, can cause severe respiratory (lung) disease
in humans. They are transmitted to
rodents and humans alike, via both direct contact through bites and via
aerosolization of dust contaminated with rodent droppings, urine or saliva. While human infection concerns exist in
environments where rodents may be, pets and livestock do not have any concerns
with becoming infected with hantavirus.
That said, if you happen to have a pet mouse or rat, you do want to keep
them away from wild rodents to avoid transmission.

If you’re doing any form of spring cleaning – particularly
in a cottage or boat that may have been closed up for the winter, a few key
tips to avoid infection include: wearing rubber gloves when cleaning areas
where rodents may have been, allow the area to air out before entering, wet
surfaces with a disinfectant and avoid sweeping or other activities that raise
a lot of dust. If you’re concerned with
raising dust, then wear a face mask to protect yourself.